I wrote an article for Western Friend:  https://westernfriend.org/article/prophets-field-play

It's about my experiences as a sporting official and what I've learned from them.  Before you figure that sport and competition aren't part of your life, check out these passages: 

....printed rules are just a starting point. Each sport has its own web of tradition and culture that…

Also posted at:  http://jtblog.lindajohansen.com/2016/03/21/lessons-from-jesus-coming-to-the-big-city/

My devotional reading today was from John’s gospel.  Chapter four starts with Jesus meeting a woman at a well in a town in Samaria.  I actually read the notes in my study Bible this time.  They led me to this history of how the Jews came to disrespect Samaritans:

    ....every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the shrines of the high places that the people of Samaria had made .... They also worshiped the Lord and appointed from among t…